I have heard from most people that the first year of homeschooling is the hardest and that you must stick it out to year 2 in order to get a feel for if it is going to work for your family. Already, we are a little jealous of the kids who get to go to school, play on the playgrounds and meet new teachers. I remember though, that these excitements wear off within the month usually, and I keep telling myself, and my kids, that we have it much better right now.
My two littlest monkeys have already been much more of a distraction then I anticipated! They see Mom giving so much attention to the older ones that it makes them want to be a part of it all too. I do my best to give them things to do, but when you sit down to teach a math concept and you are interrupted 3 times from your toddlers it can get frustrating. Not to mention the poop and hunger pains and "did he seriously just dump his chocolate milk on the carpet?" How do teachers handle having 30+ students in their class?? I know they are not toddlers but they can't all be sitting perfectly still without causing distractions. No wonder they need the hyper ones to be medicated so badly...
Speaking of medication, I have taken Payton off of his meds (again). I realize that medication makes things easier for me and that maybe it's an excuse for me to not have to work quite so hard at parenting. It takes a lot of hard work, study, consistency and especially PATIENCE to handle a special needs child. Who knows, maybe we'll try medication again. It might just be an "easy spell" right now. (Parents with kids with ADHD know what I am talking about...I swear they have cycles...like PMS!)
With all of Paytons struggles, I still have to say that as I have spent so much time with him this summer, he has some great strengths.
1. He is a FABULOUS house cleaner. Especially if there is a reward in sight such as a movie. I can get that boy to clean anything I put on a list, and it always looks GREAT when he is finished.
2. He is very bright and loves to learn and is always inquisitive about the how and why of things.
3. He is very sensitive to the feelings of his mom and when he notices that I am stressed and upset, he tries to do his best to make it better. Whether it is asking what he can do to help, or apologizing for being extra hard that day and promising to try to be "good". He is always aiming to put a smile on my face.
4. He loves hugs and gives me several a day.
Tonight while Jay was at a church meeting Payton said, "I bet you wouldn't really like to play cops and robbers with me and Tyson huh? You'd find that boring." I said, "Not really my favorite game." He then said, "Can't you just try it and see if you like it? You just have to chase us around." So, even though I was sure I would regret it, I put down whatever I was cleaning with at the moment and started pointing plastic guns at my sons and shooting them! This goes against everything that I allow in my house, but it suprisingly felt so innocent! It made me realize that the worlds standards of what play is acceptable have changed, because none of us want to raise "columbine" kids. But am I really going to raise a killer by encouraging good old fashioned good guys vs. bad guys? We ran and laughed and ducked into dark rooms and hid under blankets. We snuck up behind each other and scared the wits out of each other and then did army rolls across the couches. It all lasted about 15 minutes but my Tyson didn't stop following me around and saying "Let's run Mom, let's run!" for about 20 minutes afterwards. I said, "Sorry, Mommy died." "Awwwww...." he said. :)
I am already feeling less pressure with homeschooling. We don't have to be in bed before 8pm because we have "school". We have time to snuggle and read stories because it's ok if we sleep in until 7:30. We don't have to pack lunches or prepare backpacks, make sure notes are signed or the right papers in the right place. We don't always have to be showered and squeaky clean (meaning it can wait till morning) And best of all, I won't receive any phone calls telling me that my child kept talking out of turn so he was sent to a classroom of big kids to "scare him". Or that because he didn't finish his work, he had to stay inside during recess and sit at his desk instead. No, instead I can pull him close to me, whisper that I love him, and give him a hug to tell him that he is a special person, a child of God, who has unlimited potential. Then, we'll go play cops and robbers. :)
My two littlest monkeys have already been much more of a distraction then I anticipated! They see Mom giving so much attention to the older ones that it makes them want to be a part of it all too. I do my best to give them things to do, but when you sit down to teach a math concept and you are interrupted 3 times from your toddlers it can get frustrating. Not to mention the poop and hunger pains and "did he seriously just dump his chocolate milk on the carpet?" How do teachers handle having 30+ students in their class?? I know they are not toddlers but they can't all be sitting perfectly still without causing distractions. No wonder they need the hyper ones to be medicated so badly...
Speaking of medication, I have taken Payton off of his meds (again). I realize that medication makes things easier for me and that maybe it's an excuse for me to not have to work quite so hard at parenting. It takes a lot of hard work, study, consistency and especially PATIENCE to handle a special needs child. Who knows, maybe we'll try medication again. It might just be an "easy spell" right now. (Parents with kids with ADHD know what I am talking about...I swear they have cycles...like PMS!)
With all of Paytons struggles, I still have to say that as I have spent so much time with him this summer, he has some great strengths.
1. He is a FABULOUS house cleaner. Especially if there is a reward in sight such as a movie. I can get that boy to clean anything I put on a list, and it always looks GREAT when he is finished.
2. He is very bright and loves to learn and is always inquisitive about the how and why of things.
3. He is very sensitive to the feelings of his mom and when he notices that I am stressed and upset, he tries to do his best to make it better. Whether it is asking what he can do to help, or apologizing for being extra hard that day and promising to try to be "good". He is always aiming to put a smile on my face.
4. He loves hugs and gives me several a day.
Tonight while Jay was at a church meeting Payton said, "I bet you wouldn't really like to play cops and robbers with me and Tyson huh? You'd find that boring." I said, "Not really my favorite game." He then said, "Can't you just try it and see if you like it? You just have to chase us around." So, even though I was sure I would regret it, I put down whatever I was cleaning with at the moment and started pointing plastic guns at my sons and shooting them! This goes against everything that I allow in my house, but it suprisingly felt so innocent! It made me realize that the worlds standards of what play is acceptable have changed, because none of us want to raise "columbine" kids. But am I really going to raise a killer by encouraging good old fashioned good guys vs. bad guys? We ran and laughed and ducked into dark rooms and hid under blankets. We snuck up behind each other and scared the wits out of each other and then did army rolls across the couches. It all lasted about 15 minutes but my Tyson didn't stop following me around and saying "Let's run Mom, let's run!" for about 20 minutes afterwards. I said, "Sorry, Mommy died." "Awwwww...." he said. :)
I am already feeling less pressure with homeschooling. We don't have to be in bed before 8pm because we have "school". We have time to snuggle and read stories because it's ok if we sleep in until 7:30. We don't have to pack lunches or prepare backpacks, make sure notes are signed or the right papers in the right place. We don't always have to be showered and squeaky clean (meaning it can wait till morning) And best of all, I won't receive any phone calls telling me that my child kept talking out of turn so he was sent to a classroom of big kids to "scare him". Or that because he didn't finish his work, he had to stay inside during recess and sit at his desk instead. No, instead I can pull him close to me, whisper that I love him, and give him a hug to tell him that he is a special person, a child of God, who has unlimited potential. Then, we'll go play cops and robbers. :)
6 comments:
Kristi Brausch said...
"And best of all, I won't receive any phone calls telling me that my child kept talking out of turn so he was sent to a classroom of big kids to "scare him". Or that because he didn't finish his work, he had to stay inside during recess and sit at his desk instead."
Break my heart....I'm so glad you're doing homeschool!
Shi said...
Stop making me cry already!
Kimmie said...
Yeah, well...I talked to you this morning. I think that says it all :) Glad you write these at night!! Hope you are having fun at your class. I wanted to call you tonight, but you are unavailable. Jason and I have a hard time with this time of year!
Karen said...
I finally found your homeschooling blog! What wonderful perspective you have Jo and I so appreciate what you said about Payton. It really gave me some insight into him and I see in him what you have stated. My favorite memories of children and playing were the wrestling matches (with four good sized boys at once) and doggie piles (someone always ended up crying). I was never could with dollplaying but I love outside in the dirt and mud the 'takedowns'! Keep enjoying those times because they are gone in no time!
Kristi Brausch said...
Is Payton still not taking medication? How's that all going with his ADHA etc?
BTW This is my second time reading this entry and I still cried a little.
Huhtala Family said...
He's not taking his medication, and because I don't have 30 other kids to deal with, he really doesn't need it. However, if he was in a classroom setting, I could see that it might be helpful to medicate his "impulsiveness" :)
Thanks for all your nice comments! I read this post and think...I was in a happy frame of mind that day. I hope I can have more like it. (For instance, today, I wanted to pull him close and wring his neck)